Chairs in waiting areas, airports, stadiums, theaters and other spaces are often built with the capability of the seat to fold. This reduces the space taken up when the seat bottom is folded and allows for occupants to enter and exit a row of seating with greater ease. But, in many cases, chairs still project relatively far forward into the aisle or other area even when folded, thus resulting in a waste of area available for other purposes. When chairs are arranged in rows, such as in a theater, the space taken up by each chair in the folded position limits the number of rows that can be placed in the theater. Chairs often also recline backwards which, when arranged in rows, inhibits walking and sitting space behind the chairs.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,037 to Sherman discloses a seat designed for a cabin attendant in an aircraft. While it has a relatively thin profile when folded, it requires a complicated series of support links, push rods, rollers and guides to accomplish this. U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,632 to Baymak et al. discloses another seat for attendants in an aircraft. The seat bottom is attached to a fixed hinge and the backrest is attached the seat bottom. However, configuring the seat requires several actions of rotating the seat bottom, pulling the seat bottom outward to extend it, and pulling the backrest forward to recline. These seats are not conducive to use in theater applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,469,966 to Vallee discloses a chair having a seat that folds down about a horizontal axle. Though offering a simpler design, the backrest is reclined by having a titled frame which sacrifices space.
WO2007034007 to Figueras Mitjans discloses a folding chair with a seat part and a backrest which are independent of one another. Plates positioned between the seat part and the backrest are equipped with pins which are inserted into recesses in lateral supports to form a tilting assembly. The pivot is fixed and there is no return mechanism to control the rate of the seat closing. In use, the seat extends backward. WO2013172529 to Ham discloses a similar chair in which the backrest tilts backwards reducing space behind the chair. When multiple chairs are arranged in rows, such as in a theater, such configurations inhibit space walking and sitting space behind each chair.
Therefore, it is desired to provide a seat that provides for adequate seating space and comfort while reducing the footprint required.